Error Map Surface for Multi-Vendor Robot Fleet Coordination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Integrating and controlling hybrid fleets of robots from different vendors is challenging due to proprietary navigation, localization, and mapping software, map format differences, and lack of standards, leading to inefficiencies and conflicts in systems.
Innovation Solution
A global fleet manager module translates map locations between global and individual vendor maps, accounting for map distortions, and generates 3D error representations to optimize navigation and control of autonomous devices, allowing them to move accurately within dynamic environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple vendor-exclusive fleet manager systems are used to control robots from different vendors, then each vendor's robots can be controlled independently, but the systems cannot communicate or coordinate operations with each other
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple vendor-exclusive fleet manager systems into a single unified fleet manager system that can control robots from different vendors. The unified system includes a central server that receives data from multiple robots and a graphical user interface that displays information from all robots in a common coordinate system, eliminating the need for multiple separate software systems while maintaining the ability to control diverse robot fleets.
Solution Approach 2:
The unified fleet manager system is designed to be universal by supporting multiple robot vendors and types through a single interface. The system performs multiple functions including receiving data from various robot sources, transforming coordinates from different reference frames, generating unified maps, and providing centralized control, thereby replacing multiple vendor-specific systems with one multi-functional platform.
2Productivity
If each autonomous device operates on its own local map with local coordinates, then navigation can be performed independently, but coordination and optimal scheduling of hybrid fleets becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a coordinate transformation module as an intermediary that converts local coordinates from individual robot maps and vendor-specific reference frames into a unified global reference frame. This intermediary transformation layer enables coordination and centralized control by all robots operating in a common coordinate system, while preserving each robot's independent navigation capability on its local map.
3Reliability
If vendor-exclusive mapping and localization software is used, then each vendor's robots can operate autonomously, but integration and communication between different vendor systems is lacking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the coordinate system parameters from multiple vendor-specific local reference frames into a unified global reference frame. By changing the coordinate parameters through mathematical transformation, the system maintains the reliability of each robot's autonomous operation on its local map while achieving integration and communication across different vendor systems through the unified coordinate system.
Data Source
AI summary
Current approaches to controlling robots from multiple vendors typically requires multiple software systems that define vendor-exclusive fleet manager or dispatch systems. Autonomous devices (e.g., robots, drones, vehicles) can be controlled from multiple vendors that use multiple locally sourced map. For example, maps from individual robots can be translated to a base map that can be used to command and control hybrid fleets of robots.